Automatic lathe.



PATENTED OUT. 31, 1905.

K. WEBSTER.

AUTOMATIC LATHE.

APPLIGATION FILED NOV. 1'1, 1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 803,202. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905. K. WEBSTER.

AUTOMATIC LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHBBT 2 N0- 803,202. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905. K. WEBSTER.

AUTOMATIC LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904.

4 SHEETS--SHEET 3.

No. 803,202. PATENTED OCT. 31. 1905. K. WEBSTER. AUTOMATIC LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17,1904.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITE STATES PATENT QFFICF- KIMBALL WEBSTER, oE BELOIT, Wisconsin,ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF TO LAWRENCE E. CUNNINGHAM, or BELOIT, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC LATHE.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

Application filed November 17, 1904. Serial No. 233,066.

To (Y/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, KIMBALL VVEBsTER, residing in Beloit, in the countyof Rock and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Automatic Lathes, of which the following isadescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which area part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatic lathes of a classadapted for turning balusters, spindles, and other cylindrical articlesof varying diameters.

The invention consists of the machine, its parts, and combinations ofparts, as herein described and claimed, or the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top View or plan of the machine embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of that side of the machine at theleft in Fig. 1. vation of that end of the machine which is toward thebottom of the sheet in Fig. 1, parts being broken away and parts beingshown in section for convenience of illustration. Fig. 4 is anillustration, mostly in section, of a head-stock in the machine andrelated parts. Fig. 5 shows the front end or face of the chuck of thehead-stock. Fig. 6 shows a fragment of the cutter-head with two of eachof two sets of knives or cutters thereon. Fig. 7 is an end View, a partbeing in section, of the cutter-head and two sets of knives thereon.Fig. 8 is a detail of a cam and related devices employed to shift thecarriage and to rotate the baluster-blank. Fig. 9 is a section on line 99 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 shows a detail of construction in connection withthe magazine for holding balusterblanks, and Fig. 11 is a representationin detail of a reciprocating rack and some related parts.

In the drawings, A represents a frame of such size, proportions, andform as is adapted for suitably supporting and carrying the operativemechanism, and the frame includes a table or top B, provided with anelongated opening C, which top may be hinged to the main frame at oneside, as shown at D.

A magazine for holding the material or blanks that are to be turned intobalusters, spindles, or other articles is mounted on the top of thetable and may consist of heavy sheet-metal standards 5 5, located alittle distance apart and opposite each other, each Fig. 3 is an elestandard consisting of a foot 6, an upright flat member 7, forming theback or rear of the magazine, and a wing 8, forming the end of themagazine and at a right angle to the upright 7. The foot 6 rests on andis secured adjustably to the table B by a bolt 9, which passes throughan elongated slot therefor in the foot and through one of the series ofboltholes 10 in the table. An angleplate 11 is secured adjustably to thewing 8 by means of bolts 12 through horizontally-elongated slots in theangle-plate and fixed in the wing 8,- whereby the angle-plate can beadjusted toward or from the back of the magazine, thus providing forincreased or diminished capacity of the magazine inadirectiontowarol thefront and rear. On the outer face of the angle-plate 11 there is a flatspring 13, secured to the angle-plate by a bolt 14 through averticallyelongated slot in the spring and fixed in the angle-plate,whereby the spring can be adjusted vertically. The spring projectsdownwardly below the angle-plate and is adapted to bear yieldinglyagainst the front surface of a blank or blanks as such blank or blanksby gravity go down in the magazine until just preceding its reaching itslowest position. By this means the blank is held to and movably againstthe back of the magazine formed by the inner surfaces of the uprights 7as the blanks come down to the stocks on the carriage, by which stocksthey are to be engaged and supported during the process of themanufacture of the baluster or balusters. The lower ends of the wings 8are cut away to provide opportunity for the stocks or the centersthereof to engage the lowest blank and to carry it forward to theposition in the lathe where the blank is converted into a baluster. Abracket 15 is secured adjustably, by means of a bolt 16, to the innerface of each upright 7 and projects therefrom, forming a ledge orplatform on which the lowest blank rests when it comes to positionbetween and opposite the centers or chucks of the stocks to be engagedthereby. Retaining-springs 17 are also secured one to each upright 7 andproject forwardly therefrom and at the front end slightly upwardly, soas to be just in front of the lower front edge of the lowermost blank inthe magazine, the springs being adapted to retain the blank releasablyin the bottom of the magazine and against the rear walls thereof untilthe blank shall have been engaged by the centers or .mounted on theblock 21.

chucks of the stocks and carried out over the retaining-springs.

Two rails 18 or carriage-Ways arranged parallel with each other rest onand are secured to the tableB, one of which rails is advisably securedadjustably to the table by means of bolts 19, that pass through the baseof the rail and through complementary holes of the series of bolt-holes20 in the table. By this means the rail can be adjusted toward or fromthe complementary rail, so as to widen or narrow the space between therails, as desired. These rails are provided with ways, advisablydovetailed or undercut in cross-section, for the travel of the feet ofthe carriage therein.

A material or blank holding carriage is composed of two complementaryblocks 21 22, fitted slidable endwise in the ways in the rails 18, theblock 21 being provided with a rigid cross-bar 23, that extends to andrests on the block 22 and is secured adjustably thereto by bolts 24passing through elongated slots in the bar 23 and fixed in the block orin projecting portions thereof. The block 21 is provided with therotatable mandrel or head-stock 25, and the block 22 is provided withthe pin or center 26, secured adjustable endwise in the block 22, andforms the tail-stock of the carriage. The front end of the head-stock 25has radially-disposed chuck-blades 27 and a center 28, adapted to engagethe blank and compel its rotation with the head-stock. The head-stock 25is rotatable and movable endwise in its hearings in the block 21 and ina hanger 29, The head-stock is held up to its work yieldingly by aspring 30. This head-stock is also provided with a nonrevoluble tang 31,which is connected to the rotatable mandrel 25 by a headed pin 32, whichenters a bore therefor in the rear end of the mandrel and is secured inplace therein by a collar 33 about the neck of the pinand held in and tothe mandrel by a set-screw 34. The mandrel, with the collar, rotatesabout the headed pin 32 and is compelled to movement endwise with thetang 31 by this connection. The tang 31 is provided with a pin 35,having an antifriction rotatable sleeve thereon, which pin bears againstand travels on the inner face of the elongated guide 36 and over pin 77in the pedestal when the carriage,moves toward the left or rear in Fig.1 and on the outer surface of the same guide when the carriage travelstoward the front. The guide 36 is pivoted at one end on the top surfaceof a pedestal 37, fixed on the table B, and is held yieldingly towardthe low pin 77 by a spring 38, also mounted on the pedestal 37. In therear of the rear end of the guide 36 there is an inclined guide 39,adapted when the pin 31 contacts therewith as the carriage moves towardthe rear to Withdraw the mandrel 25 outwardly against the action of thespring and pull the chuck from the blank or baluster. As the carriageretreats toward the right in Fig. 1 the pin 35 passes behind or outsideof the guide 36 and travels on its outer surface to its front end, whenit is suddenly released opposite the magazine, causing the chuck of themandrel to engage the blank and hold it to the center 26 in thetail-stock.

For rotating the head-stock or mandrel 25 a pinion 40 is splined on themandrel, and this pinion gears with the teeth of a'slidable rack 41,that reciprocates on a track 43, held to a flange of the track 18 bybolts 44. The slidable rack is an elongated frame having an up per and alower bar parallel horizontally with each other and connected rigidlytogether at their ends, an overhanging portion of the upper bar havingon its lower edge the rackteeth, that gear with the pinion 40, and thelower horizontal bar having a longitudinal slot that receives the track43 therein, so that the lower bar straddles and travels horizontally onthe track. An arm 45, secured rigidly to the rack 41, is connected by alink46 to one arm of a bell-crank lever 47, the other arm of which leverengages intermittently a pin 48 of an eccentric 49 on a shaft 50. Aspring 51, anchored to the frame and connect- I ed to the bell-crank 47,is adapted to return that crank and the rack 41 to initial positions.

A device for discharging the balusters or finished articles from themachine, and particularly from the head and tail stocks when releasedtherefrom, consists of a rock-shaft 52, advisably made in two partsoverlapping each other and connected together adjustably, so as to becapable of being lengthened or shortened by set-screws 53 through slotstherefor in one of the members and turning into the other member, whichrock-shaft is mounted'between and conveniently in the rails 18 at therear of the cutters, the rock-shaft being provided with an actuating-arm54, adapted to be contacted by the block 21 as it travels rearwardlyfrom and beyond the position shown in Fig. 1, where it is holding theblank to be turned into a baluster. The arm 54 contacts against aninclined surface of the block 21, whereby the arm 54 is lifted and therockshaft 52 is correspondingly rotated, The rockshaft 52 is providedwith transversely-disposed discharging-arms 55, adapted when thebaluster in the stocks is brought to position over the front ends ofthese arms by the travel of the carriage rearwardly' and when lifted bythe contact of the arm 54 with the incline on the block 21 to take thebaluster as it is released from the stocks and lift it to a certainextent and permit the baluster to slide down the arms 55, whereby it isdischarged from the machine. The rock-shaft 52 and arms 55 are sodisposed that the baluster is released from the stocks or centers justat the time that the baluster is over the front ends of the arms 55.When the carriage goes back toward the front, the rock-shaft and thearms 55 assume their initial positions by gravity.

For reciprocating the material-supporting carriage forward and back atvarying speeds and with suitable periods of rest a bell-crank 56 isemployed, which bell-crank is pivoted on the frame, and its long armenters loosely a socket therefor in a hanger 57, secured rigidly to anddepending from the block 21 of the carriage, and the other arm of thebellcrank is provided with a pin and an antifriction-sleeve, which ridesin an irregular eccentric groove 58 in the surface of the eccentric 49.The route and form of this groove 58 are such that the carriage iscaused to travel to such position at thefront of the machine as brings.the centers or stocks to opposite a blank resting on the brackets 15 atthe bottom of the magazine and then moves the carriage toward the frontuntil this blank is brought to a position over the cutters, where itrests for a period sufficient for the turning of the blank into abaluster and then again moves forward to the discharging device, wherethe stocks are released from the baluster, and is then returned to itsinitial position at the front of the machine. During this reciprocationof the carriage the pin 35 on the tang of the head-stock travels alongthe inner surface of the guide 36 to its rear end, where the pin 35engages the inclined guide 39 and by the movement of the carriagerearwardly withdraws the head-stock from the baluster, and then as thecarriage moves toward the front the pin 35 contacts with and travelsalong the outer surface of the guide 36 which in the meantime has beenshifted inwardly by the action of the spring 38 to the front end of theguide 36, which is about opposite the magazine, and when the pin 35comes to and escapes from the front end of this guide -36 thehead-stock, being actuated by the spring 30, is forced forward into ablank at the bottom of the magazine.

The shaft 50 is provided with a worm-wheel 59, which meshes with a worm60 on a shaft 61, which in turn is provided with a wormwheel 62, thatmeshes with a'worm 63 on the driving-shaft 64, provided with a pulley65, adapted to carry a belt from a source of powersupply.

For turning the blanks into balusters of varying diameters a revolublecutter-head 66, carried on a shaft 67, is located at the rear of themagazine and mostly below, but so as to be in the opening C of the tableB, and this cutter-head is provided with a plurality, advisably four,longitudinal grooves 68, adapted to receive therein cutter or knifestocks 69, to which knives or cutters are secured. The grooves 68 may beundercut in curved form in one wall thereof, and the cutter-stocks areprovided severally with a foot that is adapted to fit and be slid intothe groove, whereby the stock is held in position against displacementrevolubly or otherwise. Any number of cutters and their stocks may beemployed within the limit of the length of the cutter-head,and suchcutters and stocks may be used in one or more of the grooves of thecutterhead,as desired. As a desirable means of securing thecutter-stocks 69 in the grooves 68 each stock is made thinner than thenarrowest width of the grooves 68 and is provided with a pivotedbutton-key 71, advisabl y cam-faced, which being turned into the groovealongside the cutter-stock looks it in place, the key being secured inposition by a screw 72. The cutters 70 are thin blades secured to thestocks 69 by means of screws 73. The face of the stock is so disposedthat the blade is ata tangent to the axis of the cutter-head, and thecutting edges of the blades are in such form as desired to turn abaluster or other article of the shape contemplated.

A belt 74, running on a large pulley on shaft 64, runs also on a smallpulley 76 on the cutter-head shaft 67, whereby the cutters are givenrapid rotation.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In an automatic lathe, a magazinefor blanks, a carriage reciprocable past rotating cutters, head and tailstocks on the carriage, means for rotating the head-stock, means forholding the head-stock yieldingly up to its work, means for withdrawingthe head-stock from its work against the action of the yielding meansfor holding the stock up to its work, permanently-located rotatingcutters, and means for reciprocating the carriage and giving it a restin the midst of its travel in one direction during the period and in theplace for turning the blank.

2. In alathe, a supporting-table, an upright magazine for blanks fixedon the table, a carriage having elongated side blocks extending towardthe front, the blocks being disposed to straddle the magazine, head andtail stocks opposite each other on the side blocks, cutters mounted onthe table below the path of the carriage, material-discharging devicesin the path and in front of the carriage, and means adapted toreciprocate the carriage causing the head and tail stocks to move fromopposite the magazine to over the cutters, to rest over the cutters, andto move thence to the discharging devices and then to return by acontinuous movement to opposite the magazine.

3. In a lathe, parallel rails having grooves forming trackways, acarriage composed of elongated blocks fitted and slidable in saidtrackways and a cross-bar securing the blocks to each other near theirrear ends from which cross-bar the blocks extend a considerable distancetoward the front, head and tail stocks in the carriage at a distancefrom and in front of the connecting cross-bar, means adapted toreciprocate the carriage and give it a rest in the midst of itsreciprocating movement forwardly, rotating cutters located in the frameand between the head and tail stocks when eccentric with which the otherarm of the bell-crank lever is connected operatively, the eccentricbeing formed to reciprocate the carriage and to give it a period of restinthe midst of its movement in one direction, rotating cutters locatedin the frame and between the head and tail stocks when said carriage isat its rest, and means beyond said cutters for releasing the finishedmaterial.

5. In a lathe, a reciprocable carriage, a head-stock mounted shiftableendwise in the carriage, a spring holding the head-stock yieldingly upto its work, a guide extending in the direction of the path of thecarriage and pivoted and having limited swing on a fixed supportadjacent to the carriage, means on the head-stock disposed to contactwith the guide and pull out the stock while the carriage is going towardinitial position, a spring to hold the guide yieldingly in initialposition, and a second fixed inclined guide disposed to contact saidmeans and to quickly withdraw the head-stock as it approaches the limitof its travel rearwardly.

6. In alathe, a reciprocable carriage, a rotatable head-stock mountedshiftable endwise in the carriage, means for rotating the headstock, anon-revoluble tang extending from the head-stock in the direction of itsaxis to which tang the head-stock is connected rotatively, a springholding the stock yieldingly forward, an elongated inclined guide,extending alongside and in the direction of the travel of the carrier,and means on the tang adapted to contact with said guide as the carriagereturns to initial position and 'to withdraw the stock against theaction of the spring.

7. In a lathe, a reciprocable carriage, material-holding stocks in thecarriage, a rockshaft at the rear in the path of the carriage, radialuptilting discharging-arms on the rockshaft, and an actuating-arm on therock-shaft adapted to be engaged and tilted by the advancing carriage.

8. In a lathe, a track support, parallel tracks on the support, meanspermitting and carriage mounted and adapted to travel on the tracks, aheadstock and a tail-stock mounted in the carriage opposite andcomplementary to each other, means in the carriage for permitting andsecuring the members of the carriage and the head and tail stocks nearerto or farther from each other, and a material-holding magazine composedof two members mounted on the track-support and adjustable toward andfrom each other on their support and in the direction of the permissibleadjustment of the track and the carriage members.

9. In a lathe, a reciprocating carriage, a rotatable head-stock in thecarriage, a pinion on the head-stock, a reciprocable rack meshing withthe pinion, and means for reciprocating the rack.

10. In a lathe, a reciprocable carriage, means for reciprocating thecarriage and giving it a rest in the midst of a-movement ofreciprocation, a rotatable head-stock in the carriage provided with apinion, a reciprocable rack gearing with said pinion, and means forreciprocating the rack while the carriage is at rest in the midst of amovement of reciprocation.

11. In a lathe, a rotatable head-stock, a pinion on the head-stock, areciprocable rack meshing with said pinion, a bell-crank, one arm ofwhich is connected to the reciprocable rack, a shaft, an eccentric plateon the shaft provided with an eccentric-pin adapted to contact with theother arm of the bell-crank and swing the bell-crank, and a springadapted to return the bell-crank and rack to initial positions.

12. In alathe, a reciprocating carriage provided with material-holdingstocks, a rockshaft, mounted in the track and transversely of the pathof the carriage, material-lifting arms fixed on the rock-shaft parallelwith the path of the carriage, and an arm on the rockshaft adapted tocontact with and be shifted by the carriage rotating the rock-shaftlimitedly and correspondingly uptilting the arms thereon.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature i presence of two witnesses.

KIMBALL WEBSTER.

Witnesses:

Don VAN WORT, J. A. LOVE.

